David Cameron vows to trade Britain's way out of downturn

Published on Sunday 10 January 2010 22:25

DAVID Cameron said he would help Britain trade its way out of recession if the Conservative Party won the general election.

&#149 David Cameron wants to speed up business-starting times

He rejected the argument that public spending could pull the economy out of the downturn, promising to cut faster and deeper than Labour in an attempt to balance the nation's books.

But he offered new help to small businesses in an attempt to reverse what he termed the "anti-aspiration" culture which had developed under Gordon Brown.

"We are going to get out of this recession by trading our way out, by business deciding to employ people to create wealth, to go after new markets, to export," he said.

Mr Cameron said under the current system it took up to 14 days to start a new business, twice the time taken in the United States.

"We have the ambition of making this one of the fastest places in the world to start up a new business."

The insolvency threshold would be lifted from 750 to 2,000 to protect small businesses under his plans.

Mr Cameron also said he would end restrictions imposed by many social landlords which prevented tenants from running firms in their properties.

"We have got to get rid of this anti-aspiration, anti-achievement culture that has grown up under Labour and frankly this Prime Minister is making worse," he said.

"The message that seems to be coming out of Labour at the moment is 'don't start a business, don't buy your home, don't try and leave money to your children, don't try and get on'.

"They have made it so difficult to employ people, so difficult to start a business.

"All of that is going to change."

With deficit reduction set to be a key battleground in the election campaign, Mr Cameron accepted the spending cuts the Tories had already committed to were "not enough" to balance the nation's books.

He said: "We think you have to go further than what the government say, you have to start earlier."

The Tory leader repeated his attack on the 0.5p National Insurance hike, which his party has labelled a tax on jobs, but acknowledged that he had not yet found a way to reverse the measure if he wins the election.

"This is an indication of how, far from spewing out commitments and being loose with our language, we are being very disciplined."